There is something about using a visual medium to explore blindness that makes Eskil Vogt’s directorial debut intriguing. But it’s where he and actor Ellen Dorrit Petersen take that premise, and how stylishly and wittily they do so, that makes the film compelling, clever and surprisingly warm.
Since losing her sight, Ingrid (Ellen Dorrit Petersen) has become reclusive, never leaving the apartment. We cut to another story, focusing on Einar (Marius Kolbenstvedt), a chronic consumer of pornography whose loneliness leads him to spy on a pretty neighbour, Elin. At first the shifts from story to story are a puzzle but soon we realize that Einar and Elin are figments of a story Ingrid is writing. But Ingrid starts writing her husband into the story, and Elin starts taking on more and more of Ingrid herself.
This is a peculiarly beautiful film, with the kind of hard-won optimism that feels truthful as well as hopeful. Stylish and engaging, and laying out a fine manifesto for the power of the imagination, Blind is a magnificently clear-sighted film.
Jessica Kiang
The Playlist
With the support of the Norwegian Embassy
Please note that the festival is for over 18s only
